Winter Love Letters
by The Mushroom Fairy
Summary: Geddoe is away for the winter and Queen's up to some mischief, though not exactly intentionally. Written for Shannon, Christmas 2003.


Jacques awoke in Geddoe's bed with a start, springing to a sitting position, and noticed immediately that he was alone.

"Shit!" he hissed aloud, flinging the covers away from his body and jumping out of the bed. The icy air hit his bare skin and the cold stone of the floor chilled him through, but he paid them no heed as he dashed to the closet to find a robe. 

_Please_, he prayed silently. _Oh, please...oh, please...don't let me be too late!_

The first thing he saw hanging in the closet was the first thing he grabbed; the robe just happened to belong to his captain. He threw it over his naked form as quickly as he could and didn't draw the ties until after he was already in the hall, hardly caring how it looked for him to be running from Geddoe's room barely dressed and barefoot, his hair disheveled and dark circles under his eyes from a night of sleeplessness. None of it mattered.

He flew down the stairs, holding the railing to keep from falling down the castle steps in his hurry, then dashed toward one of the floor-to-ceiling windows in Budehuc's great hall. He looked out and saw that the men were already at the front gate, mounted on horseback and preparing to depart. 

Again ignoring the fact that he was barely dressed and there was a frost over the ground, Jacques ran outside and dashed for the entrance to the small village. "Ged!" he yelled frantically. "W-wait!" He choked on the sudden cold air, his teeth chattering and his lips turning blue in an instant. Tears froze on his cheeks as he watched his captain ride away at a fast gallop with the rest of the group, without having said a word of goodbye, without so much as a touch for reassurance.

"...Ged..." 

Heartbroken, Jacques returned to their shared room, crawling into the now-cold bed. He curled up beneath the covers as he had the night before, hugging the pillow where his lover's head had rested just last night. The night before, Geddoe had been distant. He told Jacques goodnight and had fallen immediately into a troubled sleep, probably worried about his pending mission. Jacques had watched him sleep for what seemed like hours, then finally hugged his smaller body to his love and held him all the night through, afraid of the dawn. Sometime during the night he had fallen asleep, however hard he'd clung to consciousness, and now the dawn had come and Ged was gone. Neither of them knew when he'd be coming back. 

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

They traveled far that day. Geddoe hadn't meant to just leave Jacques without a word of comfort, without promising to return safely. He wondered if Jacques would worry for him. He wondered if Jacques would be lonely. He wondered if Jacques would be cold...

_I'm sorry... I shouldn't have left like that_, he thought, hoping his silent apology could reach his lover. He found himself wishing he had lingered in that warm, snug bed for just a little longer, but he knew he couldn't have; the team would have already been assembled then had to wait for him, and besides...it would have been sacrilege to disturb that beautiful sleeping angel...

Later that night, when the team set up camp and Ace had started up a chinchirorin game, Geddoe passed by the invitation to join the others. He started to write a letter, his thoughts flowing freely and spilling across the paper as he kept the bottle of ink held tightly to his chest to keep it from freezing in the cold night air.

_Jacques,_

_Only a day...a day since we were together, and now I face a night without you in_

_my arms... Maybe I sound like a fool, but I'm missing you already. I wonder if you're as lonely as I am?_

"Captain, what are you writing?"

Geddoe looked up, his thoughts interrupted, and saw Queen standing over him, now blocking the firelight. Frowning, the captain capped the ink and stuck it into his pocket, folding the letter and stuffing it into his jacket.

"Something..." he muttered noncommittally.

Queen shrugged then took a seat beside him on the fallen tree. "Beautiful night," she remarked.

Nothing looked beautiful when Jacques wasn't a part of it. "...I wouldn't know." Ged stood and walked stiffly to his tent. He didn't feel like having company, not from anyone else. It was embarrassing for him to be caught writing a love letter. He'd never been one for sentiment and romanticism. Well, that was before...before...


End file.
